"Where" is my destination?

In article ,
Don Tuite wrote:
"Ben Jackson" wrote in message news:PZfjc.26174

I should have seen this coming when Oakland FSS's computers told them
that Scappoose was the closest airport.

Compared to Twin Oaks, which is the field that started this
discussion? Sometimes I couldn't find Twin Oaks when I had a plane
based there.

I always find it, it's just that sometimes as I get closer I find it
again and make a course correction.

But for the briefing with FSS I had to ask for HIO weather rather
than Scappoose weather. HIO is a lot bigger than SPB.

--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/

"gatt" wrote:

I got a free IFR lesson to Scappoose last week because my instructor had to
pay her bill at the Barnstormer Bed and Breakfast. We flew out there and
she ran off to pay her bill while I watched gyrocopter folks test flying
their new birds. Not exactly a major airfield.

It was the "big" airport I practiced at all through my training. Nice
crosswinds, bumpy climbout. Only Woodland and Evergreen were bumpier
in the area.

Scappoose has a restaurant on field?

Rob

"Rob Perkins" wrote in message

Scappoose has a restaurant on field?

Not on field, but really close. You have to park at the north end, walk
over the dirtpiles and construction, skirt around the RV park and cross the
road. Kinda screwy. It's a -really- nice bed and breakfast unless the
farmers are spraying fertilizer and/or the smell of the papermill is blowing
toward it.

Five minute walk, max. It's northwest of the airfield. There's a sign that
says "THIS WAY TO THE BARNSTORMER" leaning against the RV park fence, but
the sign doesn't exactly tell you which way.

-gattman
Portland, OR

"Ben Jackson" wrote in message
So, "where" IS my destination? Is there anything I could have said
that would have made it clear? Would they be confused if I just asked
for flight following to the Newberg VOR?

A fix from a VOR will always work. "Bearing 15 miles on the 180 Radial of
(VOR)."

Just tell 'em to stand by while you figure it up. Doesn't have to be exact.

--
Jim Fisher

A fix from a VOR will always work. "Bearing 15 miles on the 180 Radial of
(VOR)."

What's this "VOR" thing you speak of?

:-)

I actually turned my on yesterday, just to make sure it still worked. And
we used the other one once on our way home from Sun N Fun -- to listen to an
AWOS.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jim Fisher" wrote in message ...
"Ben Jackson" wrote in message
So, "where" IS my destination? Is there anything I could have said
that would have made it clear? Would they be confused if I just asked
for flight following to the Newberg VOR?

A fix from a VOR will always work. "Bearing 15 miles on the 180 Radial of
(VOR)."

Well, almost always *g*. If you're going a distance, it's better to have
an H-class VOR, and even there we struck out once

But that was Boston, 'nuff said

Sydney

controllers in another state, especially "local" approach control, are not
expected to know every Podunk airport more than 200 miles away..

When departing an area like that.. I just give the direction of flight
"North" and get out of there as soon as possible.

BT

"Ben Jackson" wrote in message
news:SAbjc.42018$_L6.2563007@attbi_s53...
Leaving OAK I called ground and asked for flight following to 7S3
(which I gave by name and spelled phonetically). Later, while I'm
taxiing they come back with "where is that" and I couldn't imagine
how I could help them if the identifier didn't, so I came up with
"near McMinnville", which is both a nearby airport and the name of
the FSS. There was a pause and they came back with "we would call
that 'Oregon'" and gave me a squawk.

On climbout with Norcal approach and later Oakland center my destination
came up at least once with each controller. One thought it was MMV.
One of them accepted 7S3 without argument and asked for my route of
flight, which I gave as "direct Maxwell VOR and then airways" which
started a new round of "what's the closest navaid to your destination"
and I offered to amend my destination to HIO. She explained that she
just needed to know if she should hand me off (to Travis AFB?). I think
my destination finally "stuck" then because it didn't come up again.

So, "where" IS my destination? Is there anything I could have said
that would have made it clear? Would they be confused if I just asked
for flight following to the Newberg VOR?

--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/

"BTIZ" wrote in message
news:B%gjc.90$k24.88@fed1read01...
controllers in another state, especially "local" approach control, are not
expected to know every Podunk airport more than 200 miles away..


I would expect at least 200 miles from an approach controller, maybe a
little less from big city approach controllers. I have heard of and know
roughly where every airport is within about 5-600 miles from here.

(Ben Jackson) wrote in message news:SAbjc.42018$_L6.2563007@attbi_s53...
Leaving OAK I called ground and asked for flight following to 7S3
(which I gave by name and spelled phonetically). Later, while I'm
taxiing they come back with "where is that" and I couldn't imagine
how I could help them if the identifier didn't, so I came up with
"near McMinnville", which is both a nearby airport ...
So, "where" IS my destination? Is there anything I could have said
that would have made it clear? Would they be confused if I just asked
for flight following to the Newberg VOR?

Ben,

This is a perennial problem. Believe it or not, I have every airport
in the US in my obsolete, limited-memory Palm VIIX but major TRACONS
and ARTCCs don't even have some pretty major airports outside their
airspace in their database. What's Wrong With This Picture?

If you can find an H-class VOR which is near your destination and
either give it as your destination or give your airport as degree-
distance to that VOR, it seems to work pretty well...though we were
once asked for a VOR *within* the airspace of the ARTCC.

Best,
Sydney

"Snowbird" wrote in message
om...

This is a perennial problem. Believe it or not, I have every
airport in the US in my obsolete, limited-memory Palm VIIX
but major TRACONS and ARTCCs don't even have some
pretty major airports outside their airspace in their database.


TRACONs don't have databases separate from ARTCCs. All flight data
processing is done by computers in ARTCCs which terminal facilities access.